The activities of the 9th Sultan Pasha Al-Atrash Cultural Festival, organized by the Ministry of Culture and the As-Suwayda Directorate of Culture, have begun in appreciation of the heroism of the great fighter and his comrades, whose sacrifices and valor forged the glory of Independence (Al-Jalaa).
The festival began with the laying of a wreath at the tomb of the General Commander of the Great Syrian Revolution, Sultan Pasha Al-Atrash, at the Great Syrian Revolution Martyrs' Shrine in the town of Al-Quraya, and the recitation of Al-Fatiha for his pure soul.
Activities then commenced at the Palace of Culture, where the Director of Culture in As-Suwayda, Laila Abu Fakher, affirmed in her opening speech that this festival is in harmony with the intellectual and civilizational message of our Arab history. She emphasized the commitment in each edition to consolidate our Arab and national identity, for which our ancestors struggled, noting that the festival aims to highlight the noble intellectual and militant values and the unifying national concepts embodied by the great fighter and his comrades, which united political, military, intellectual, and social fronts toward a free and unified homeland—a path followed by their descendants today in confronting the obscurantist onslaught that attempted to target our culture, heritage, and human civilizational mission in its essence and depth.
She explained that honoring a figure from the Great Syrian Revolution and one of the heroes of that honorable period of the country's history by presenting the festival’s commemorative shield to the family of the fighter Muhammad Izz al-Din al-Halabi, one of the pillars of the Great Syrian Revolution, is a tribute and appreciation for his struggle, perseverance, national history, and heroism in the battles of the Great Syrian Revolution against the French colonialists.
In turn, Engineer Thaer Al-Atrash, grandson of the fighter Sultan Pasha Al-Atrash, said in a speech on behalf of the family that “the festival is an important station for drawing lessons, meanings, and militant, liberationist, and national values to present them to generations in the present and future. Everyone must return to their history, which is full of heroism, and commit to the meanings and values embodied by the great fighter and his comrades through their long struggle in adhering to their principles and militant positions for the independence of our country, preserving its unity and the dignity of its people, and rejecting all temptations and compromises, no matter how difficult the circumstances.”
For his part, Dr. Fayez Izz al-Din spoke about the fighter Muhammad Izz al-Din al-Halabi, who was the honoree for this edition of the festival, stating that “the fighter Al-Halabi was one of the pillars of the Great Syrian Revolution and was the leader of the Northern and Ghouta regions during the revolution. He participated in most of its battles, where he and his righteous comrades sacrificed their lives for the sake of the nation and remained steadfast in their patriotism and Arabism until their very last breath,” expressing his thanks and appreciation to the Ministry of Culture and the festival organizers for this generous gesture.
The activities included an artistic performance by the Shahrazad Band, led by artist Mazen Al-Hakim, featuring heritage music. The performance used folklore pieces to embody the authenticity of customs, traditions, national positions, and the readiness to make sacrifices in defense of the homeland and the land.
An exhibition of historical documents was opened at the Palace of Culture, prepared and organized by researcher Kamal Al-Shoufani and supervised by the Historical Documents House at the As-Suwayda Directorate of Culture. It included documents chronicling the period of the Great Syrian Revolution, the exile of revolutionaries to Wadi Al-Sirhan, the period between 1937 and 1946, and the National Era, in addition to documents related to the fighter Muhammad Izz al-Din al-Halabi and his comrades.
An exhibition of heritage artifacts and handmade crafts, supervised by the 'Mahabba wa Wafa' (Love and Loyalty) Association in the governorate, was also inaugurated.
